What Can the New York Jets Expect from WR Braylon Edwards?

UPDATE (7/24/2013): Everything apparently went smoothly between the New York Jets and wide receiver Braylon Edwards. As Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News reports, the team wasted no time in getting Edwards signed once the veteran passed a physical.

To say the New York Jets are desperate for help at the wide receiver position is a bit like saying Mark Sanchez had sort of a down year in 2012.

Yes, it's technically accurate, but it doesn't begin to describe just how bad the situation really is.

The Jets are apparently digging through the proverbial scrap heap in an effort to address the situation, at least according to Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News.

For the 30-year-old Edwards, this would mark stint No. 3 with the Jets (I think he gets a free hoagie).

Edwards ended last season with the team after being claimed off of waivers, and the eight-year veteran played there for nearly two years after being acquired from the Cleveland Browns in 2009.

It's not hard to see why the Jets are kicking the tires on players like Edwards, Austin Collie and Laurent Robinson.

Top wide receiver Santonio Holmes is iffy at best for the beginning of the season due to a slow recovery from a Lisfranc injury. Second-year pro Stephen Hill hasn't been able to stay on the field.

As things stand today, Jeremy Kerley is the Jets' top wideout. With all due respect to Kerley, that doesn't bode well for the prospects of Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith in 2013.

It's hard to really criticize a move that essentially carries no risk with it, but there's also not much to get excited about either, unless chasing the past is your thing.

Of course, that's been the story of Edwards' career for the past half-decade.

In 2007, Edwards caught 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Browns. At the time it was believed he was simply coming into his own, and that the former Michigan star was ascending into the elite ranks at wide receiver.

That's as good as things ever got, however. In fact, that's the only season in which Edwards has gained more than 1,000 receiving yards.

By 2009, Edwards had worn out his welcome with the Browns and was traded to New York. Edwards had a decent season in 2010, topping 900 yards and scoring seven times, but in 2011, he was on the move again, this time to San Francisco.

The past two years have been injury-filled nightmares, with Edwards latching back on to the Jets last December after a short stint in Seattle.

That time with the Seahawks last year was telling. Watching Edwards was like seeing an entirely different player than the speedster of 2007. His explosiveness and ability to separate appeared gone, sapped by age and injuries.

With that said, though, the Jets apparently saw enough in workouts to give them some measure of confidence that Edwards is healthy, and 30 isn't ancient by any stretch.

Given the state of the Jets' receiving corps, it's easy to see why the team would grasp at just about any straw that was offered at this point.

For that reason, it's a decent deal for the Jets, but given everything we've seen from Edwards over the past couple of years, it's also hard to imagine Edwards making any significant contribution for the Jets in 2013.